Amethyst
by Lishka Vida
Summary: Amethyst is a powerful demon with powerful enemies and a dangerous situation. Will the love of a prince be her salvation... or her demise? Based on Books by Alice Borchardt and Amelia Atwater-Rhodes and many others...PLEASE REVIEW OR I WILL STOP WRITING!
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

_Hello. I am Amethyst. When I think about it, it could mean a million different things to a million different people._

_To me, I am a total of three things. _

_My mother's daughter. My mother was one of the highest ranking demons who opposed the tyrants known as the Kamikazi Clan. She was also the best paid mercenary and assassin. _

_My father's daughter. My father was also a high ranking demon but he was under the control of the Kamikazi Clan. I never learned how they met. They are the Demonic Plane's most mysterious pair. There were never that many Demons inside the Demonic Planes. Everyone knew everyone. This of course made them an oddity._

_Amy to some, this last self is the me that I introduce. The Amethyst that isn't judged by the past and not owned by anyone. _

_I have been fighting in between these three me's for the last seventeen human years. They are constantly at war over which the real one is and which I want to live by. _

_Now there is another side to me: the apple of the prince's eye. The soon to be king of the Demonic Planes has taken to trying to win me into his bed._

_I have enough enemies as it is what with my parents' past hanging over my shoulders. Now I have a new problem: reject the prince and risk the wrath of the crown; take the prince and face the anger of the mothers with eligible daughters. _

_What do I do? What can you do when both way you're wrong, and it's not even your fault?_

Chapter One

"Hey, Amy! Where are you going?" Prince Urban ran after Amethyst, who was storming away from the scene trying her hardest not to cry.

"Away. What do you care? You only like to see me dance!" She shouted over her shoulder.

"I thought that you liked being a dancer!" He said catching up. He tried to grab her shoulder.

"Piss off! You know the difference!" She said with venom as she spun around. She didn't care if the rest of his pompous friends saw her crying.

"Come on, Amy! You know I'm not like that! I was making a joke! Come on, Amy, stop walking away!" Urban pleaded.

"No! It obviously wasn't a good joke then. I have things to do." With that she turned around and left headed home. Urban hung back with his friends.

She walked as quickly as she could, not caring about where she was headed. What gave them the right to make fun of her for whatever reason that they saw fit. This week was because she was being apprenticed to be a professional dancer, a craft that she was born into thanks to her mother's background.

She realized that she was headed towards the nest, the meeting place and even home for the dancers. They were the only group that seemed to like her well enough, although of course, they were no more than outcasts from the entirety of society.

She changed direction. One of the cruel jokes made by the prince's group had to do with hiding beneath the ceremonies and heathenism of the nest. She started in the direction of the house she now lived in, now that she had received the okay from the king to have a dwelling within the city walls.

She went inside trying to find a reason to dull her anger before she slept and was forced to return to the nest and perform the latest dance she had learned. It was nearing her eighteenth birthday, when she would formally take her vows as a dancer.

She threw herself down on her bed. She was agitated beyond imagining. She couldn't sleep like this or her dancing would suffer. That, she could not allow under any circumstances. She heaved a sigh, and rolled over to find a golden envelope. She picked it up and looked at it. It was an invitation to the ball that Prince Urban was holding.

_**Hey Amethyst!**_

__

_**This is an official invitation to join the Prince Urban at his right side to the annual Loss of Life festival. Do you agree or decline?**_

_**Send your answer by return of post please!**_

_**Urban Mobsidian **_

She looked at the note for a long minute.

_This must have been sent before today. He wouldn't have had the balls to after what just happened._ She had actually been thinking about going with him before he and his friends had to make fun of her.

She wrote the note quickly and politely declined, claiming illness. It was true enough. She stuffed it in the envelope. It instantly disappeared from the palm of her hand. She then rolled over onto her back. She had meant to close her eyes for a minute, but when she opened them again, it was dark out.

And someone was calling her name.

"Amethyst! Are you in there?" It was Prince Urban.

"What do you want?" She asked without moving. She didn't really want to talk to him but she would have to if she wanted to live. It was law that you had to answer the prince when beckoned.

"I want to apologize! I'm really sorry about what I said. It was something I knew you don't like to talk about. I'm really sorry," he repeated, as if it made any difference.

"I don't care. I have to leave."

"To the nest?" he asked.

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Can I come? I have never been there before. "

"Probably well and good." Amethyst retorted. She walked past him to the nest. Anabel –her teacher- would be waiting for her.

"No! Please! Let me come with you! I promise I won't tell anyone that I was with you. Those other leeches are nothing to me. I only want you." Amy didn't say anything. She didn't want him… at all. He was nice but she couldn't have him.

"That's not the problem is it? All of the other guys said that you were too aloof for me. They say that you don't like others because of… well anyway they don't think that we would work together."

"Look buddy, I'm only humoring you because you're the prince. I'm not interested in anyone right now. I don't even want to be married."

"Because of the other girls? Don't argue. You know that's why you won't open up to anyone. It's because no matter what you have to give up whatever you have that someone else wants to avoid being killed in your sleep. "

Again she ignored him, this time because it was true. If she reacted to any looks her way, another girl could end up trying to fight her for them. She couldn't fight, not for her life, not anymore. She was always fighting just to _breathe._ She had to fight to not be executed for her mother's "treason" and her father's many crimes. She was allowed to live. She was alone but she was alive, which she figured would be enough.

"Please let me come?" Urban asked again.

"If you come peacefully and don't insult anyone you may come. If they say leave, you may want to leave," she said finally relenting. Hopefully he'll at the very least learn to appreciate the dancers and try not to look down upon them so badly. And so long as no one gossiped about this in the wrong place and extra precautions were taken, she would be fine.

"Thank you. I want to know more about my kingdom really. I think it will make me a better leader if I know what I was ruling over."

"Assuming you rule over us little prince." That was Marion. He was an older dancer. One of the few people in the nest that was polite to Amy. He was referring to the fact that although the nest is part of the kingdom, it had the exclusive right to place whatever laws they wanted to enforce and those that don't. It was a sovereign group within a kingdom.

"Marion," Amethyst said, not a little glad to see him.

"Anabel told me to get you. She was worried." He explained as he pulled her into a hug.

"I'm on my way right now."

"With the prince?" Marion raised an eyebrow.

"I wanted to see just what it is I'm dealing with." Urban piped up.

"He is your guest tonight?" It was phrased innocently, but there was a twisted double meaning to his words.

"No. He's coming to see the nest and that's it." she protested.

"And that he will." Marion agreed.

They continued to walk until they got to a large dome-shaped building. This was the nest. Amethyst walked through the doors and was instantly comforted by the smell of stale opium and the stiffling heat that made you feel asthough you were inside an oven. Prince Urban looked mildly uncomfortable in the heat.

"Prince Urban! What a positive suprise!" The female's voice came from the door and immediatly following the murmurs spread that for the first time in over a century, one of the royal house was inside the nest. The Female who had spoken was Anabel, a tall black haired woman who would be stunning if not for he snake's eyes.

"Amethyst, my dear. I was begining to think that you weren't comming!" Anabel continued. She kissed Marion in greeting.

"She was on her way... just slowly!" Marion joked. A murmur of laghter spread through the nesrt like a shockwave.

"Just..." Amethyst was at a loss for advise. "Try not to hurt anyone's feelings. We are known for our bad tempers for a reason." She whispered so that it wouldn't spread.

"I'll try" Urban whispered back.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

Prince Urban wandered around the nest like a lost child. Amethyst had walked off with Anabel and that other serpent. He was wondering what his name was when a girl walked up to him.

"So, Prince Urban. We saw you with the leper, Amethyst, who no matter what anyone says, Anabel swears is her prodgedy. What is there between you two?" The serpant asked casually.

Even thought the constant music of the hypnotic drums was still going and everyone was still talking, the entire nest seemed to hush, waiting for his reply.

_Okay, think fast. what would she want me to say?_ He thought to himself.

"Nothing. I simply wanted to see the nest and she agreed to bring me." He said, even though it hurt. He wanted to scream that even though he meant nothing to her, she meant everything to him. Or rather, something to that effect.

"My Prince?" Oh God he was behind her... and being polite, which made him wince. He hated formality.

He turned to her. "Yes?"

"I will be staying here for the night, so I have asked Anabel to take you home. Go with her."

"Thank you for bringing me here." He replied more politely than he wanted.

He turned and saw Anabel already at the door waiting for him. When they had gotten far away enough for them to be out of earshot of the nest, she turned to him.

"Amethyst told me you invited her to the ball. Why?" Apparently, short, sweet, and to the point is the way she gets information.

"Because I am fond of her. Her father was, for the most part loyal and-"

"Cut the crap." She interrupted. "I know that you love her. It has nothing to do with her father."

"Well then why did you ask?" He shot back, more than a little annoyed.

"Because I wanted to know if you would be honest with yourself or not."

They had reached the palace outskirts and she stopped there. There was no reason for her to continue; he was already being approached by three royal gaurds.

"She's had a terrible life. Give her time. She's really scared." Adn with that, she turned away, changed into her snake form and slithered away.

When he was back in his room after a quiet dinner by himself, he took out his hidden masterpiece: an honest to god oil painting of his beloved Amethyst. When it was finished, it would have her in a black corset and skirt with her hands above her head in the first stance of most dances. He couldn't wait. Time slipped away from him as he worked. Slowly the picture was coming together. He stood back to admire his handy work... just when his best friend came knocking on the door.

"Yo Urban! You in there man?" Yelled Mavros.

"Umm... Uhh... Yea... Umm... Hold on a sec let just get some pants on..." He lied quickly as he carefully yet hurriedly put away his painting.

He walked to the door and opened it slowly to Mavros' blue eyes fair skin and Black hair.

"We goin' or what?" He asked narrowing his eyes at him.

"Going where, Mavros?" He asked tiredly. He had been up the entire night working on his painting.

"To Nicolas' to ride his new mare. You commin' or what?"

"Of course." He sighed. He grabbed his riding gear and went with Mavros with the feeling that he was going to have a _long _day.  
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Amethyst watched as Anabel led Urban out of the nest.

_What is his problem?_

"Amethyst, watch what you're doing!" Marion's shriek came as a shock to her system. During the blade dance they used often as a warm up she had lost focus and nearly dropped a dagger on Marion's head.

"Oh Goddess! Marion I'm so sorry!" She apologized to her friend.

"Don't be so distracted. You know better." He scolded her. She should have been able to do this dance asleep.

"So... Anabel told me that you denied the prince's request to attend the ball. What the hell were you thinking?" Marion asked.

"I was thinking that I don't want to be massacred if I am seen with the prince as his guest."

"Massacred? By whom?" Marion asked.He wasn't going to let up.

"Why does it matter to you? I'm the leper of the entire Demon realm." She didn't want to have to explain that she did want to go but it was like holding a snake and hoping it won't bit you. Of course she wasn't going to explain all of this to Marion.

"I'm worried about you."

"Well..." she sighed. "I just want to go to sleep. Come with me."

There was nothing between them- he had his sights on Anabel- but some serpientetraits bred strong, and an inability to go long periods of time alone was one of them.

Amethyst found her favorite corner and laid on her blanket; Marion laid next to her.

"Please reconsider. This could help. If you are seen with the prince, it may look better for the rest of us dancers."

"At the risk of my _life_?" They spoke in hushed tones. Word spread through the nest like blood through veins.

"I doubt they would kill you if you are under the prince's protection."

"There are too many ifs. I won't risk it! It's hard enough for me to live as things are now!"

Marion sighed and leaned back into his pillow. Amethyst leaned into hers. This was nothing new. They always bickered, but she always knew she could depend on Marion for whatever she needed.

When she woke in the morning, Marion had already risen and was prepairing to take the stage. Judging by his attire, he was going to dance a dance of commitment, to Anabel Amethyst guessed.

There was no need for her to watch it. It was only a reminder of what she would never have and could never hope for. Although she was learning the dance itself, she knew that Anabel, being her teacher, would be the only one to see it. She stood, straightening her clothes and walked out of the nest. After sleeping in the overheated nest, the cool morning air outside was a shock. She went back to her lonely home and sat at the window, allowing herself to daydream about what she may have had if her parents weren't traitors of their own kind. She feel asleep at the window with a small tear in the corner of her eye.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter Three_**

Prince Urban was tired. Very tired. The kind of dog tired that made everything blur thogether in a black haze. As he and his friends were horsebackriding, he lagged behind, if only to doze off every once in a while.

"Come on Urban!" goaded Mavros as they neared the forest. "Race me to the river!"

"How old are you? Seven or seventeen? No I'm not racing you to the river! I'm tired as it is!" Urban replied, annoyed.

"I'm seven if it gets you to stop being such an ass!" Mavros shot back.

"Fine, to the river, and I'll beat you only to make you shut-up." Urban relented.

Mavros turned his horse, a fine dappled silver, towards the forest and rode off at top speed. Urban heeled his white mare and tore off after him with a grin on his face. Even though he had snapped at Mavros and been annoyed at his challenge, the truth was that he liked to horse race. As he and his favorite horse (affectionately named Audovauld) tore through the forest at top speed, he forgot how tired he was and pushed on. After about two minutes he spied Mavros' horse and pulled up beside him. After passing Mavros an ego-saturated grin, he pushed Audovauld to her highest speed, leaving poor Mavros in the dust. He and Audovauld were speeding their way to the river, dodging around trees and creatures and bushes as recklessly as they could without risking the prince's life. They reached the river a full five minutes before Mavros.

Mavros was walking his horse as he neared.

"Now that I've got you alone I have a question."

"Shoot." said a slightly lighter minded Urban

"Why in the Hell would you invite the slut to the ball?"

"Huh?" The question caught Urban completely off gaurd.

"The dancer. The traitiors' kid. Amethyst! Why would you invite her? Do you have any idea what they say about you? They say that you're a fraud and that you tricked your brother into giving up his inheritance. Meaning that you can't go about doing anything questionable."

"You don't believe any of that crap do you?" Urban asked. He had heard nothing of these concerns.

"No but the point is that I can't deflect any of those beliefs from spreading anymore! There are too many people that believe them. And I'll tell you now that going to the nest was a damn bad idea."

Well. That was a suprise.

_Amethyst said that no one should have known about that... That the nest would keep it a secret!_

"How did you find out about that?" He asked quietly. Whoever leaked that was going to be force-fed their own entrails.

"I saw you with that dancer on the outskirts of the palace. If you were going to go, why didn't you leave her at the nest?"

"Who else knows about this?" He asked, ignoring the second phrase.

"I told Ellisa but that's it-"

"Mavros! Ellisa? Are you insane? If you were truly trying to help me why would you tell her?" Ellisa was Mavros' betrothed and notorious for her big mouth. If you wanted to know something from her all you needed to do was ask.

"Ellisa is my best friend. If I tell her not to tell anyone, she won't."

"Unless given the right price! Mavros of everyone in the entire Demon realm, why Ellisa? Better yet don't answer that. Let's just hope she hasn't gathered an entire mob to dethrone me before I even take the throne at the gates." Urban remounted and raced off to the palace. There was no telling how far Ellisa's invaluable information reached.  
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When Amethyst woke, she woke to a whispered argument in the front of her home. Curious as to what was being said, she walked the the door, careful to stay hidden out of sight.

"-why allow him to live? He's screwing around with _her_!"A woman's voice. Not familiar but from the way it sounded she was one of the prince's acquaintances.

"Because he hasn't posed a threat yet. If we get rid of her, he'll get angry and dethrone himself." A male's voice. Okay, they weren't with the prince but one of the many who wanted him dethroned... and if she understood correctly they would use her to do it.

"_She _will soon be out of the way in any case. The dancers are very angry that they brought the prince to the nest. Anabel said that she would speak to her but... I don't think she can hold the whole nest back."

_Who the hell leaked that? _The no one in the nest ever went ignorant but there are rules. No one ever takes information out of those walls.

"There is no need for you to hide. This is your house. I know you're there." The man's voice came again. It took a moment for her to realize that he was talking to her.

She stood and adressed the couple. She didn't know them, but their clothes confirmed them as well-to-do and not part of the dancers' crowd.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my home?" she said with more confidance than she had.

"We actually want to help you-" started the woman. Amethyst cut her off.

"By ending my pathetic life? I don't think so. I want names."

"I am Gavin. This is Angelic. We don't want to kill you." answered the man. He looked into Amethyst's eyes, and suprised her by not cringing. There weren't many who could look her in the eye without wincing because of the controlling power she inherited from her mother that she couldn't control. She could however control when she struck out with it and did so on Gavin. He remained unmoving.

_He must be an upper-level demon. Otherwise he would have felt something._

"It came from your own lips. I'm no simpleton." She told him over her musings.

"I did not mean to kill you. Simply keep you from talking to him." Angelic said.

"I don't think so. I can do that myself." She remarked. She was looking steadily into Gavin's eyes, trying to find the hidden meaning behind it all.

"Then you'll go with us quietly?" She asked.

"No. By the way, why are you arguing about this on my doorstep? Doesn't that defeat the purpose?"

Amethyst was watching Gavin, but didn't realize the trap she was in until she felt Angelic grab her arms and hold them behind her back.

"Oh. Well I guess we'll have to drag you." Angelic whispered into her ear.

Amethyst tried to struggle, and found herself panicking when she found she couldn't tear her eyes away from Gavin's green ones.

_Try harder!_ She tried to throw power into Gavin to throw him into the tree behind him... and found her power frozen.

_Force it!_

**_I can't!_** She realized that everything was going fuzzy. Angelic was doing... something. Whatever it was was making her tired and...

_No! Fight it!_

**_No! I can't fight anymore!_ **

With that last painful argument and Gavin's green eyes as the only focused thing in the room, Amethyst fell into unconsciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chepter Four_**

Amethyst woke in the dark. She ammended that thought to a blindfold and a room where she didn't know where she was. She was also tied down to a chair.

"Ah, so you're awake." Gavin's voice came from in front of her.

"Where am I?" Ameythyst asked.

"I don't think you want to know. I know more about you than you think." Gavin answered. He was now on her left.

"But that doesn't answer my question. I want to know where I am." Amethyst protested.

"Fine. You are in a small house in the middle of the Blood War Valley Cemetary." This time Angelic's voice from behind her.

Blood War Valley Cemetary was used in 1200 BCE when the demons of the two different ends of the realm first fought and created Demon Realm and the Secondary Realm- also known as the human realm. Unfortunately whenever a demon is within the bounds of the Cemetary all powers are bound... meaning that Amethyst couldn't assume her serpentine second form.

"What do you want?" Amethyst asked after a time.

"I want you to deliver somethings for me. I also need you to stop fighting me. The less you fight the easier it will be for the both of us." Gavin seemed to be the ring-leader. She was trained to find out such things. Fat lot of good it did her.

She weighed her options. First option: Fight and possibly win. Problem: Blindfolded tied to a chair and even if she gets past that the Blood War Valley was slowly sucking all of the power out of her body. Not a likely win. The only other optioon was to do what he asked and hope it didn't bode too ill for her.

"What am I supposed to be delivering?"  
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	5. Chapter 5

**_Chapter 4 part two_**

"If you try to betray us and fail to pass our message on to the prince... well I think you are about to find out." Gavin said menacingly.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Wait a minute! Part of the deal is that you wouldn't hurt me!" Amethyst exclaimed.

They had made her repeat over and over the message word for word as she was to pass it on to the prince.

"I know. That was just to get you to that far into the process."

"Are you about to torture me for something I might do!?" Amethyst yelled in anger.

"No we are torturing you so you know better than to betray us."

"This will be fun!" Angelic said holding a particularly painful looking instrument.

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Urban returned to his room exhausted and frustrated. He had made it to Ellisa in time and made her swear never to tell anyone. It was the least he could do.

He was about to flop onto his bed with a frustrated sigh and daydream about his beautiful Amethyst for about an hour or so when he heard a knock on his door.

As it turned out, there were three of his father's personal gaurd there.

"Can I help you?" He asked warily. His father wouldn't have sent them if it weren't important.

"There were reports of a girl's screams in the area of the woods that you and your friends were riding today. Have you noticed anything?" The big one (named Ty he remembered) explained.

"No I didn't hear any screams. That's odd. Well, if my father hasn't decided to join me for dinner- I think so- I will go on a private ride. Do me a favor and tell my gaurd noone."

Prince Urban had a bad feeling about the screams comming from the woods. It could onlyy mean bandits and he was in the moiod for a good fight.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapters five and six (Iknow it's confusing... get over it)**_

Amethyst walked through the forest trying to get her bearings on what had just happened.

_Okay__…__ Let's start from the beginning._

As she sat being tortured by the two upper level demons, Urban had snuck in behind them. When they had let off torturing Amethyst, He untied her bonds, and set her free.

"Go quickly. If I know them at all, they aren't done with you."

Now she wandered through the woods, wondering if Anibel would allow her refuge in the nest. She stopped when she heard a sound behind her. Then she remembered what would happen if she stopped and was caught again by the demons and began limping as fast as her rapidly healing but still broken legs could go. She heard the sound again, this time in front of her and paused. If she had to, she was pretty sure she could hold her own; she simply hoped she wouldn't have to.

_I'm so _sick _of fighting!_ She thought, not for the first time.

"Please! Stop! I can't move as fast as you. Those devils are really good fighters." Amethyst stopped in shock.

"_Urban!"_ She said heading towards the bushes where she heard the sound. She moved renegade branches out of her way to find a battered Prince Urban crouching in the moss.

"What happened? Are you alright?" Amethyst asked while helping him into a more comfortable position in their little space.

"Long story short I won. Why did they take you?" Urban asked, staring into her eyes.

"Enemies of my mother's. Apparently they have something they want me to tell you... you don't want to know." Amethyst explained looking away from Urban's heart-breaking and pleading eyes. "Anyway, are you alright?"

"I'm fine if you are. You are alright, aren't you?" Urban asked.

"I'll heal. I am a demon. I'm worried about you. Can you walk?"

"Like I said, I'm fine if you are. Those morons are dead, so they shouldn't bother you anymore." That caught Amethyst's attention.

"You _what!_ Now everyone is going to think that _I _killed them! I have to get to the nest. If I can get there before word does I may be able to keep it from spreading." Amethyst's mind was working at a thousand miles an hour.

"Or you can take me back to the palace. They were part of the population that wanted me dethroned. We can say that you killed them to save me."

"There is only one problem: I can't lie. I'm a demon, remember? How do we get around it?" Amethyst reminded him.

"You won't say anything. I will do all the talking."

And so Amethyst and Urban stumbled together to the prince's palace. The guard was the first to see them and sounded the alarm at Amethyst's approach. She hesitated.

"Don't worry Amy. I'll make sure that you aren't harmed," Urban whispered in her ear as the heavily armed guard walked closer to them.

"Prince Urban! What in the seven hells are you doing with that murderess?" The guard asked once he recognized his patron.

"This _murderess _saved my life. Escort us to my chambers," Urban commanded the guard, seeming suddenly to be the near-king that he was.

After being discreetly ushered into Urban's enormous room, Amethyst helped Urban into his large bed. At his request, she locked the door and dimmed the light. She then started towards the window.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Asked a hurt Urban from his bed.

"I have to get to the nest before anything further happens."

"Things like what? Look, I know that the nest raised you but they won't hesitate to harm you given the chance. If you go there now they won't connect you to my injuries. I say you stay here."

Of course, she was forced to walk away from the window and sit in one of the overly cushioned chairs next to his bed.

"I want to go back home. Why do you have to bring situations like this up? All of your guards saw me help you inside. That should be enough to convince people. They can't lie either," Amethyst pointed out.

"I know, but either way I would have you stay here with me. Then you will be seen as one who looked after me to be absolutely sure that you saved me."

"And the mothers with eligible daughters will despise me for trying to earn your gratitude so that I could take the throne as my own."

"And they will be told to be polite. You lose." His tone also added the phrase "end of subject" to his statement.

"Why did you save me?" Amethyst asked after a moment of silence.

"Because I am in love with you, no matter what you feel about me."

"Even though you well know how dangerous it is to love me."

"I know you like me at the very least but you are so caught up in your own suffering that you refuse to acknowledge it, causing me more pain and trouble than is necessary. I will, however, wait patiently for the day that you realize that I will protect you no matter what anyone else thinks."

"It is different with you. You aren't hated by everyone, and you can't be outright killed without your murderer being brought to justice. If I was killed, they would all say good riddance to bad trash and move on with their day. In fact, my killer would probably become the hero of the realm, no matter how you would feel about it. Did you honestly think I was suicidal? Do you honestly think that you are the only one hurt by your love? I have to struggle and fight every day for the _right _to _breathe_. I have to be careful not to hurt anyone's feelings knowing that if I step a toe out of line I could be killed and no one would give it a second thought. The worst part is that it isn't even for something I did. My mistake was existing, finding out the terrible things my parents did, and not committing suicide. My crime is wanting to live, and living despite all of the ways people hate me."

The prince flinched and settled into his pillows. She knew he had no idea how bad it really was.

"And my crime," Urban said at length, "is loving the one everyone hates. I don't know how they treat you, but I am willing to be the one that you can come to." He looked up into Amethyst's eyes. "I don't know if you realized it, but I love you no matter what and I promise that if anyone so much as threatens to lay a finger on you, I will see to it that that person is thoroughly, slowly, and painfully taken care of."

"That's the problem. It bodes ill for both of us if you continue to acknowledge me. You will be dethroned but I can't let that happen. You would be the perfect leader for this broken realm. If I have to leave it for the realm of the dead I want you to be the leader here because you would teach the rest of this realm how to not judge people by the things they can't control."

Right then there was a knock on the door.

"Urban! Urban, are you in there?" It was Mavros.

"Mavros! Come in." Urban called.

"Are you insane?" Amethyst hissed to Urban through her teeth. Urban put a hand up to silence her just as Mavros opened the door.

"I heard… well now I guess it doesn't matter. What in the seven hells happened to you? Is this witch the cause?" Mavros said, walking toward Amethyst, a look of pure hatred in his eyes.

"Mavros, my friend, please. I am very tired and Amy saved me so of course she is not the cause. Send for the serpent Anibel. I have need to speak with her."

"Wait a minute! She saved you? You lie! The only thing she's good for is causing all kinds of hell!"

"That's enough Mavros. She saved my life! You would think you could be at the very least grateful. Or are you not the friend that I thought you were?"

"Urban, you are like a brother to me. If she truly saved your life, I apologize."

"Then apologize."

Mavros looked at Amethyst. He then went to his knees and mumbled something or other about being sorry. Amethyst looked to Urban. Urban nodded and mouthed to her to say apology accepted. She repeated out loud and Mavros stood facing Urban.

"You ask a courier to get the serpent. I don't go anywhere near that inferno." At that, Amethyst snorted skeptically. The bruises that were on the insides of his arms that no one else would have seen spoke a story contradictory to the one he spoke. Mavros shot her a look that begged her not to tell Urban anything that he did because she could tell that despite what he tells others, he was addicted to the nest poison. She wondered what might lead him to the Nevermore. Then she told herself not to care and focus on the problem at hand.

"Hey Amy, I have to go to my closet. Help me up." Urban's voice brought her back to the conversation they were having. Mavros was doubtful as to the love that Urban felt. Amethyst helped him up and he walked to the closet and disappeared behind the doors.

"What do you know?" Mavros asked quietly.

"I know that if you follow the rules you will have no problems. It's called 'Nevermore' for a reason." Amethyst replied.

"I didn't know there were rules."

"Nevermore than a pinch at a time, nevermore than once a day, nevermore than two days in a row, or nevermore see the sun."

"I didn't know…" Mavros was cut off by Urban's return with a large covered canvas. After settling it on the easel, he turned to Mavros with a smirk.

"It isn't done yet but I think you will get the point when you see it." He then removed the cloth that covered the paint. It took Amethyst a while to realize that it was a painting of her. It was truly a masterpiece. She fell heavily into her chair as her knees flew from under her. It had been a long time since she had seen a mirror.

"It's beautiful." She managed above her shock.

Mavros simply stared at his friend.

The three of them spent that day talking about what they would do. Once hey had a plan, Urban drifted off to sleep.  
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_**Chapter six (just so you know)**_

Mavros pulled her aside.

"Are you addicted too?" He asked in a whisper.

"Yes but it's not for non-demons like you. In fact, it's a bad idea." Amethyst replied.

"Just because something is a bad idea doesn't mean you can help doing it." His voice was guilt filled.

"Well. If that is the case I don't know what to tell you except not to get too into the drug and to always obey the rules… for your own good."

"Did you really save Urban from bandits?" Mavros asked suddenly. Amethyst was saved from having to answer by a courier knocking on the door. After giving Amethyst a glare that said "We'll talk about this later" Mavros answered the door. The courier had returned with Anibel.

"There are rumors going around already in the nest that you killed a couple of well meaning adventurers and cowered behind the prince to avoid suspicion. Are you alright?" Anibel said after greeting both Mavros and Amethyst with hugs.

"I hope you have been deflecting them." Amethyst said with horror.

"Yes of course but I have no proof and no other story to counter it."

"Here's one," Mavros said. "Urban was walking in the woods for a lost brooch and was captured by renegades who wanted him out of the way of the crown and Amethyst saved him. You have it from the prince himself. Amethyst as severely injured in the process and is resting in the palace. The better part is that it is the truth, more or less."

"I will inform them. There is a problem though. Amethyst they have already burned your house down and plan on adding your ashes to it."

"Well if you talk to them they should at least calm enough that I will be able to rebuild in peace." Amethyst was pale and looked like she had been hit with a hammer. Her stomach was hurting and she had a feeling that this would not be the last of her trouble; if fact, that it had just begun and was accelerating from bad to worse. The worst part: she could do nothing to stop it without risking her life.

"Why didn't you two wake me when she arrived?" asked a newly awake and tired Urban from is bed.

"Because you need your sleep and I need to leave. If I don't contradict the current story soon it won't matter what I say in the long run. Good-bye to you all." With that Anibel took her leave. Amethyst sank into one of the overly cushioned chairs and held her heart. She realized with a suddenness she didn't relish that she was trapped. With nowhere to go she would have to rebuild quickly…

"What's wrong?" asked Urban who could tell from her pale complexion that something was awry.

"They burned down my home and… and if… if I… I don't know what to do! I'm trapped! If I go out there someone, anyone, could kill me and make it look like an accident. I don't think anyone will appreciate my staying in the nest."

"You can stay here." Urban said softly.

"No I can't. Will your family allow it?"

"She can stay with me." Mavros offered. "There are, of course, things I want from you in return."

"Done and done. So long as your household can be discreet, I accept your terms."

"Then that is settled? Good. I want to work on my painting. I have something for you, Amy." The prince, fully rested and back to full strength, jumped out of bed and went to his closet.

"What are your conditions?" Amethyst asked.

"Nevermore. As much of it as you can get me. It's proving harder and harder to get it of late."

"Done," Amethyst replied just as the prince emerged from his closet with a dress that seemed vaguely familiar. She heard Mavros cough from behind her.

Too late she realized it was the dress she was wearing in the painting.

"I'm not wearing that."

"Yes you are. Just for about twenty minutes and then you can change out of it, I promise."

"Why a dress like this. I haven't worn anything like this in my life." Amethyst mumbled under her breath as she reluctantly took the dress from the prince's hands. It was a beautifully crafted black and red dress with black velvet accents and red ribbon in the corset.

After changing in the closet (which was more like a small bedroom) with three (reluctant) servants helping her, she went back into Urban's room for his inspection.

"Very nice." He murmured as he looked her over with an artist's eyes. Mavros made it a point not to look at her.

"I don't see the big deal." Amethyst said quietly.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" Urban asked, pain in his voice.

"I guess not. I don't have a mirror. My mother thought it too much of a hand in vanity. She believed that mirrors were only to be used if absolutely necessary." As she spoke, Urban had bee prowling around her, adjusting a ribbon here, a fold there. When he was satisfied with her appearance, he led her to a chair- the same one in the painting- and arranged her so as to have a more accurate model for his admiration and paintings than his own imagination.

"I must speak to my household of our unexpected guest and be sure to lay down some ground rules. I will return for Amethyst upon sundown. Good-bye." Mavros said at length. Upon Urban's vaguely affirmative grunt, Mavros turned to leave.

When the door closed, Urban sat back from his nearly finished painting, eyeing it admiringly. Then he looked up at Amethyst. She had allowed herself the luxury of closing her eyes; he had finished her face.

"Amethyst," He said softly.

"Yes," she answered, just as quietly.

"You can change now. It has been twenty minutes and more, I think."

Amethyst looked him in the eye.

"I'll wear it if you like." She said. Urban's face lit up. "It's not so bad." She continued.

Urban sighed. "You have no idea just how much you break my heart, do you?" He held a hand up at her argument. "You don't. No matter how much you think you do. You just don't. The question in my heart now is how. How do I make you see what I see, feel what I feel? I have been looking for the answer to that question for what feels like an eternity. I feel this pain everyday and I have to show a good face anyway. As if I wasn't dying slow death. As if my pain wasn't enough to drive me insane and wish for the next world." There were tears in his eyes. "I try and try to tell you, o show you, to make you see… but it is all always for naught. I always fail."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Amethyst asked. "It isn't my fault…"

"You think I wanted this? You think I planned this all out?" Urban asked, pain in every word and every gesture as if it hurt to move. "The morning that I woke up, saw your face and realized I was insanely in love with you… I was terrified. I knew it was bad for me. I tried telling myself it would diminish. If I didn't touch you, didn't see you, tryed not to think about you, your face, they way you look when you cry, the way your hips move when you walk, ignored the fact that I knew I wanted to be the one to finally get you to smile, truly smile with happiness behind it, to give you whatever you wanted, whatever you needed and hang the fool who says you can't. If you know what that kind of pain feels like… It's what I go through every minute of every day and multiplies one hundred fold every time I see your face and again whenever I hear you say my name. And every time I have to leave you, when I realize I am behind most of the pain in your life, when you run away from me crying my heart breaks to the point where I feel like I can't stand it any longer. Until you know that kind of pain, you will never know how much I love you." Urban's tears were flowing freely now. He didn't even bother to wipe them and simply let them fall. Amethyst felt tears in her own eyes.

"I am so sorry. I didn't know. I… I'm sorry. But you know the repricussions if any of this was to be seen." Amethyst said, praying her voice was as even as it sounded, and refusing to make eye contact with him.

"All I want to know now… is if you feel anything for me." Urban reached out and turned her face towards him. Upon meeting his eyes, Amethyst dissolved into tears.

"I…" Just then there was a knock on the door. Head held high and tears gone, Urban opened the door, not to Mavros, as was expected, but to Marion.

"I am here o take her to the nest."

"No. She is going to be staying with a good friend of mine in the city. I don't want her where she could be targeted."

"In case you have forgotten, _prince_, Amethyst is one of ours, and so she comes with me to her rightful place at the nest."

"Since when have I had a _rightful place_ in the nest?" Amethyst said. She wondered if her parents' records had suddenly been erased from memory.

"Since we found that you were incorrectly gossiped about in a way that could have cost you your life."

"Since when does anyone care whether I lived or died? I don't understand." Amethyst argued. She had a gut feeling that the nest- the only place she had ever been able to call home- was her biggest enemy.

"I do. They're traitors." Urban said unexpectedly.

"_We're_ traitors? Ha!"

"You are traitors if you conspire against the royal house." Urban replied.

"Did I miss something? I do believe I am here for Amethyst, who is _not_ part of the royal house in any way." Marion said.

Amethyst paled as she realized what the prince intended to do.

"Urban don't. If you want me alive, this is hardly the way to do it. No Marion I am not going to the nest while you all still want me dead. I'm not ready to give up on life quite yet."

"You are doomed." Marion said before turning into his serpent form and slithering away. Urban closed the door, and Amethyst went back to the chair she was in before and sat heavily in the seat.

"Why?" She asked at length.

"Because you're wrong. If I want to protect you, this is the best and easiest way to do it. I will make an official announcement tomorrow."

"Then tomorrow I will be branded as the witch who saved the prince and seduced him into my bed. That is a sure way to die."

"If you stay with me you will live."

"And remain your prisoner in the palace because if I ever step foot outside of the palace after that, or if anyone has even a narrow avenue for attack, you can rest assured that they will take it."

"You will have your own personal guard."

"I don't think you realize how hated I am. A guard can be swayed with the wrong information. Either way, people believe as they are told."


	7. Chapter 7

**_Chapter Seven_**

Gavin woke in a daze and tried to recall why he and Angelic were sprawled out on the floor.

He sat up and looked around. The place was destroyed as if a tornado had hit the place.

He looked over at Angelic. She had a lagre bruise that was becoming an unattractive shade of purple. He decided not to wake her. She would be in pain when she woke on her own anyway.

He stood carefully and looked around. He became frustrated once he realized the red spots all around him were actually in his eyes. The boy had hit him across the temple with something heavy... He had a growing suspition that it was the chair.

The table was over turned... Angelic had gone down after him, but he was sure it was the right side up before he had been knocked out, so maybe it was Angelic's doing.

The cloud in his mind began to slowly lift (as did the spots) and he remembered the happenings of the night before.

He walked over to the untouched kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. Amethyst was on the run and the prince was with her. He forced his mind to work up a plan. If the girl was with the prince, they would have to work twice as hard on dethroning the boy to get to her.

He heard Angelic coming to in the other room. After swearing a blue streak, he heard her get up. He decided to head her off.

"That damned boy! I swear I will have his head as my greatest prize." Angelic said without preamble.

"Yes, I know. The boy caught us off gaurd, but I trust it will not happen again. Now, though, is not the time. I am thinking of a plan but we cannot act until I have."

"But Gavin..."

"No 'buts'. I don't care how angry you are, although I do understand. Now is not the time to make too many waves. They will come back on us if we do."

"Then what do we do?" Angelic's rage was growing with her increased impatience.

"If you would calm down and relax I could think of something." He said, encasing her in his arms.

"Oh, but I'm angry." She moaned.

"I know. I've got it. You can take it out on a few of the local adventurers. We need first and foremost the nest on our side."

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Mavros returned about thirty minutes after Marion left. Amethyst was sitting on the chair and Urban had put his painting back in the closet and gone to sleep. Neither of them had said another word to the other, but retreated to their respective corners.

"Are you in here?" He asked at the door. The Lamp had burned low enough to where he couldn't tell if there was anyone in the room.

"I am. Can we leave now?" Amethyst asked. She got out of the chair and stretched as she walked over to Mavros. She had sat in the chair unmoving for a long time.

"Yes we can. I have a covered carriage waiting outside." He answered.

"Okay then, let's go."

"Not until you get me the Nevermore." He said blocking her path.

"Well I can't get it for you now which is why I am staying with you at the moment. If I go to the nest they will kill me and then you won't get it." She answered.

"Fine. Hurry up and go." Amethyst walked past him to the door and glanced back to see him walk towards the lamp and put it out.

She walked as quietly as she could down the hall. She carefully pushed open the door and looked around outside before seting off for the carriage...

Only to be grabbed from behind by someone.

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Urban woke when the sun was rising above the horizon.

Mavros was sitting on the other side of the room, contemplating the floor with his head in his hands.

"Is Amethyst okay?" He asked looking at his best friend. Mavros jerked his head up, startled, then refused to meet Urban's eyes.

"Where is Amethyst?" Urban asked again.

Mavros flinched guiltily and still refused to look up.

"Mavros. Answer me." It was a direct demand this time.

"I gave her to Gavin and Angelic." Mavros said, his voice dripping with guilt.

"You did WHAT?!" Urban exclaimed. "This is the second time you've done something stupid... wait a minute... I killed them."

"So she didn't save you?" Mavros asked.

"It doesn't matter now! How long?"

"It does matter because you've just lied to the entire kingdom."

"You've just threatened the prince's fiancee! How long, Mavros?!" Urban yelled.

"Since midnight." Mavros answered.

Urban reacted immediately, going around the room, gathering whatever he would need.

"Now I have to go get her. Again. And that's only if she's not dead yet thanks to you!"


	8. Chapter 8

**_Chapter Eight_**

Amethyst woke to the feeling of extreme pain. Not the kind of pain, like a broken leg. No, this was soul-splitting, mind-numbing pain.

_Too much pain for me to be dead._

She had been grabbed from behind and shortly after she had gone completely into the arms of Morpheus. _Probably opium fumes,_ she thought_._

"So you are finally awake! Good. I look forward to you passing out again." Angelic's voice... and she didn't sound happy.

"Open your eyes!" Gavin's voice.

After three attempts she managed "I can't."

"Then I will have to make you." Angelic again. This time she sounded ecstatic.

The first thing she felt was the chill of a metal blade. The next was fear. After that... the pain doubled, then tripled... and stayed there.

Then her fear tripled.

_She's trying to cut my eyes open!_

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Urban paced back and forth across his room, trying to think of a way to save Amethyst, and make sure when he killed them they stayed dead.

Mavros convinced Urban not to grab his sword and run after Gavin and Angelic, but he was still fuming.

"Where did they go?" Urban said.

"I don't know." Mavros asked quietly.

"Well then why did you do it? What did you get out of it?" Urban yelled.

"Nothing. I wasn't thinking."

"So I noticed. Where would they take her? I know that there are only three places they could take her... The graveyard, the Left Moon and the Crux. Did they make any hint of where they might go?"

"I don't know why you're asking me! I don't know anything. They told me not to ask questions."

"Get out." Prince Urban was in a rage that he could compare with none other.

Mavros left quickly. Outside the door, he leaned up against the wall. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of a blue powder that shimmered with an addictive gleam.

He recounted the conversation he had with Gavin earlier...

_"You are the one that the leper is to go with?"_

_"Yes... not that I wanted to."_

_"I can take her off your hands."_

_"She is paying a good price."_

_"I can sweeten it." Gavin held up the Nevermore._

_"I can have that now?"_

_"Provided you sned the girl to me alone."_

_"Done."_

_"When she leaves the room, put out the light."_

Gavin had given him the Nevermore and a devious smile. His eyes had been... oddly... seductive in a way. Once Mavros agreed to do the deed, he dared not betray him.

He continued on to his home. There was nothing he could do as of now. He had betrayed the prince and his best friend. He took the bag and had intended to drop it. Instead, he took it and placed it back into his pocket. It was his decision that caused this problem. He may as well reap the rewards.

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Amethyst's face was covered in blood. Angelic had been carving the girl's eyes open for the last ten minutes.

"Angelic. It's not going to work." Gavin called to her from the kitchen. She was trying to get Amethyst to scream.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the girl's either passed out or she just won't scream."

"She wil. If she's passed out we just need her to wake." Angelic replied stubbornly.

"You will kill her if you keep cutting her though." Gavin pointed out.

"Oh, well. The bitch deserves it."

"I need to find out what her mother left her. My sister always was a slick one."

"And?"

"And I can't find out if she's dead." Gavin was beginning to be annoyed.

"Gavin, please!"

"NO!" Gavin yelled. Angelic shrunk under his angry gaze.

"I'm sorry." She murmured.

Gavin sighed. "I am too. Just try not to be so infernally impatient. I need her. If my suspitions are correct, the power that that girl inherited from my sister it too great to be left to die." Gavin pulled the frightened Angelic into his arms. She leaned into him.

"What is it that you think she has?" Angelic asked.

"I will tell you only if she has it. Otherwise it is better you not know. I don't want to have to exspend the energy needed to erase your memory if she doesn't have it."

"You would erase my memory?" Angelic asked, alarmed.

"Of course. If you knew too much. I have to keep myself safe."

Angelic got up and walked away.

_She'll get over it._ Gavin thought. He leaned back in his chair, unconcerned. She won't do anymore damage to Amethyst after that much yelling.

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Amethyst woke and it was all she could do not to scream out in pain. Even after she had passed out, Angelic must have continued to cut.

Despite her best efforts, she must have made some noise because she could hear one of them comming back in.

"Still alive?" Gavin's voice.

"Unfortunately." Her throat had healed to a point that she wouldn't gag on her words.

"I see. I told her to hold off a bit. For once she listens."

"Why? What do you want with me?"

"Two things. When that infernal mother of yours died, she left you with something quite valuable. That and you have the prince's ear."

Amethyst must have moaned because Gavin added, "Why do you fight it? You two obviously have feelings for each other. Have you ever thought that maybe the reason that he refuses to let you go is _because _you push him away? You could have used his feelings to your own ends. He's easily used when his emotions are strong."

"You mean manipulate him?"

"Of course."

"What did my mother leave me? As far as I know all I got were her scales." Amethyst asked to change the subject.

"Well, it comes with your scales. I'll just have to coax it out of you. You may want to go back to sleep. Angelic will be back in here to torture you otherwise."

"Why are you helping me?" Amethyst asked. He was a sadistic enemy before. Now he was helping her.

"I need you alive, but I need Angelic. So you'll just have to deal with it." With that he walked away.

Amethyst observed her choices... and they were nonexistant. Until her eyes healed, all she could do is try to think of anyhting she could have inherited from her mother. And she would need to find it before Angelic lost her temper or Gavin gave up on her... in which case Angelic would still kill her.

She was running out of options.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Mavros went straight to the nest. He entered in through an extra door in the serpent Raja's room.

"Let me in." He whispered discreetly through the door.

"Password?" Came the smooth drawl from inside. He was later than usual and they were already breathing in the fumes of the sweet intoxicating powder.

"Sha' Mehay." He said even softer than before.

"You are not welcome here anymore." Came Raja's voice from inside.

"What!?" Came his startled reply. He steped back from the fumes for a moment to clear his head and register what she said.

"You are not welcome." Raja stepped out of the room, into the open air.

She looked exquisite.

As a true dancer, she had the priviledge of wearing the symbols of her guild on her body and had the symbol meaning "reckless abandon" on her waist where her clothes didn't cover her. There were actually very few places that skin _wasn't_ showing. Her outfit of scarlet gauze went around only the more vital areas of her body. The rest of it....

Her very presence was intoxicating to him. After so many times... Nevermore wasn't the only thing he was addicted to.

"Why? Are you angry with me?"

"No. I just don't want you to kill yourself anymore than you are. I know you aren't following the rules and I will not allow you to any longer."

"I have..."

"No." Raja interrupted. "You haven't. You simply think I'm too stupid to notice."

"I don't think..." Mavros started. Raja interrupted again.

"You do. You think I'm so easily fooled.... But you don't even watch the things those of your own household say do you?"

"Members of my household are..."

"More easily swayed than you think."

"But they have all sworn..."

"And will break that oath for extra coin. I know you are engaged. How long did you expect me to go in silence? When were you going to tell me?" Raja's voice was saturated with pain and passion.

"I wasn't going to tell you. I was going to break off my engagement."

"Really?" Came a new voice from in the room.

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Angelic stood in a darkened corner looking deprived and wronged.

"Don't be so sad. You can still torture her when she makes you angry." Gavin was trying to coax her out of her self-inflicted misery.

She wasn't rising to the bait.

"I don't care. I want to go back to what I was doing."

"She can't use her power if she can't see."

"I don't care about her damn power! I want..." She choked on the words. Amethyst was in the back room sleeping off the injuries inflicted by Angelic. Gavin had thought it a good idea to stop the torture and begin training her to use the tecnique she had been misgiven.

"What do you want, Angelic? No one but me here, and the girl in the back. You did so much damage to her she won't wake for a while." Which was true. She would need hours of sleep for her eyes alone. Gavin had needed to carry the girl to the small bed.

"I don't care! You know what I want. I'll not ask it of you again." With that Angelic got up and stalked away, out the door to find some unsuspecting innocent to harass.

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Amethyst was laying on the bed, curled into a ball and refusing to move in any way her body saw fit. Angelic had walked in and taken her temper out on her. Her windpipe was broken, as were her jaw, legs, and three bones in her right arm; her eyes were ravaged to a point that she didn't think they could be repaired.

'Damn them all!' Amethyst thought of her parents. 'If only they were smart enough to know that they were too hated for me to pass through life unscathed! They were said to have trusted none but each other. what made them do this to me?'

She had reached a point in wretchedness when all else ceased to matter but her own destruction. If Angelic hadn't destroyed her eyes, she might have cried the tears she should have cried.

Since a very young age, she was always the odd one out, forced to flee for her life on a daily basis. She usually remained ahead of her reputation and was able to stay one night in one town before having to hastily leave its borders. She fled in circles. There was no other land she knew and she was wary of leaving it.

That was not to say that she didn't try. She left the borders and fled for a day. Slowly she felt her strength begin to fade and she felt like she was falling into an abyss from which there was no return. It took her two days to find her way back to her country. She'd never set foot outside the borders again.

In any situation, she was too busy trying to live and not be killed to cry over a moment's misfortune. Eventually, the king noticed what was preoccupying his subjects and called an end to the cruel game; for that was all that it was: a cruel game of find the traitors' get at her expense.

She was allowed to have a home and it was forbidden to kill her.

'If the king goes out of his way to make a public announcement, and the people still refuse to give up their forbidden game, is the king's word still law?' She thought with bitterness. It was forbidden to kill her, and one would think she could rest easily. No. She had to continue to be careful with her words and the people she surrounded herself with.

There was still no time. So she promised herself that if she had the time she would cry on her death bed. It was the only peace she would get.


	10. Chapter 10

**_Chapter Ten_**

Mavros had been wandering in the woods for hours. Raja and his ex-fiancee had both yelled at him, Raja for lying to her and Ellisa for denying her.

He couldn't take their screaming, so he ran away.

_Just like you always do. Coward. Worse than that even at times. A true low-life._ He berated himself even as he wandered deeper into the forest. He paid no mind to the direction he was going, and was lost in just five minutes.

_Good job, imbecile._ He said as he realized he didn't know the way back.

He had been walking for a few minutes when he tripped over a doll. The kind of rg that would only belng to the poorest of citizens.

But who in their right minds would live out in this dark (not to mention dangerous) forest with children?

He dismissed the thought and continued on his distorted way.

A while later he saw what looked like a road. He didn't know if it was going deeper into the forest or if it would lead out of the forest but he did know that it lead somewhere other than the nowhere that he was headed towards.

Two hours (he had nothing better to do but count the minutes as they went by) later he was in a place that didn't really look any different from where he had stood two hours ago.

He decided to turn around and see if he was going deeper instead of out...

And ran into something solid and forboding.

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Amethyst woke and found that she could open her eyes... and move her legs.

She panicked. She didn't heal that fast.

"Oh calm down. I healed you. I guess I do have a problem with maintaining my patience."

She turned over onto her back so that she could see the whole room and saw Gavin sitting in a chair in the doorway. No way out. There were no windows. No escape.

"Why?" she asked, sitting up. She had a cramp in her back so she streched out until she heard something pop and the pain started to abate.

"Because I need you alive and I need to start teaching you how to use your power."

"And I repeat: why?" She cracked her back in two more places by leaning over to the side. She started her dancer stretches, just to see what Gavin woud say. He merely watched her looking amused.

"How long have you been dancing?" He asked instead of answering.

"Not long. A few years."

"Have you taken your vows?"

It was a moment before she could respond. She was doing a particularly difficult strech that required her concentration so she wouldn't fall, especially since it had been a couple days since she'd last walked.

"No," she lied.

"What dances do you know?" He asked.

"Are you going to answer my question?"

"Yes. Right after you answer mine."

"_Namir-da, daraci kain,_ all of the _melos._ Nothing too big or complicated."

"Do you know _Maeve's Seduction_?"

"Answer my question."

"Because your mother left you something that I want back and I need you to get to it."

"No. I don't know _Maeve's Seduction_. I'll never perform it so I thought it better if I just never learned it."

"Keep your face down when you lie and you may get better at it. Your lip twitches."

Amethyst made no comment as she ontinued with her strech. She was bent backwards with her hands on the floor. She slowly began to walk her hands around in a circle without moving her legs.

The rest of her back cracked into place.

"That sounded painful." Gavin commented.

"Felt good."

"If you could lie better I would let you get some water. As it is, I want the truth from you."

"What do you want to know?"

"Two true answers for every lie. If you don't lie this will go quickly."

Amethyst had to remind herself that she was the captive here and it wouldn't do any good to argue with her "host".

"Fine what do you want to know."

"Have you taken your vows?"

"Yes. Just this year. what does any of this have to do with you?"

"I will tell you when it matters. Who is your teacher?"

"Anibell."

"Have a seat. We will still be a while."

Amethyst plopped down on the bed. Hopefully he didn't want too much.

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Urban deided to take three of his guars on a "pleasure ride" into the forest. Given his true purpose, his guards would never have let him go, but if they thought he just wanted to have fun, they would have no reason to object.

Now he searched the ground looking for prints. Not of wolves and deer like he was supposed to, but of the demons who carried his love away. Every once in a while he cold smell blood, but he passed it off as his imagination. He lost track of time, he was so intent on learning where Amethyst had gone to.

He hadn't noticed that it had started to get dark.

"Milord?" Came one of the guards.

"What is it? Did you find anything?" Urban asked quickly, never lifting his eyes off of the ground, searching.

"No... it's just that... ummm... well..." The guard stuttered. Urban became impatient.

"Well what is it?" Urban pressed, still not looking up from the ground.

"Well, Milord, you see... It is very late and... it's getting dark... and the castle is far behind us. The other guards and I think we should begin to head back." The guard said, stuttering and speaking so low that it was hard to hear him.

Urban wouldn't have heard him anyway; he had found what he was looking for.

He followed the tracks through the forest.

"Milord it's dark! And it's dangerous! Come back!" the alerted gusard yelled out. Urban looked up at him with a menacing glow to his eyes.

"I'm a demon. I don't think that there will be any problem with the dark or with the danger. You and the rest of the humans return if you wish. I have something I need to do. My goal is to be done with this and back to the palace by noon tomorrow." He actually meant to be done at dawn, sneak into his room and have Amethyst announced as his fiancee by noon, but he wasn't going to tell him that.

"Go back to the palace, take the others and tell my father I'm staying with... within the forest tonight. I have friends nearby. Tell no one else." He ordered the guard in the most authentic voice he could muster what with the excitement behind his voice, making it shake. "Am I understood?" He asked the shaking guardsman.

"Y-y-yes sir!" He said and turned running to the others.

Urban turned in the direction of the tracks. He very rarely needed his demon form and had thusly forgotten how hightened his senses were when in his other form. He could see the ground as if it were noon and he could hear for miles. even better, he could smell what was obviously the sent of Amethyst; it was the most intriguing smell around him at the moment.

"Hold on, my love. I'm comming for you and they will all pay for what they have done to you." He vowed under his breath. He took off to follow the tracks.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter Eleven**_

Amethyst was going crazy. Gavin had ben asking questions for hours. The problem was they were generic, boring questions that ranged from "What is your favorite ability as a demon?" to "What is your favorite color?"

"What is your favorite gemstone?" He asked her while she tried to imagine how on earth she could kill herself while held hostage.

"Amethyst." she answered automatically. "How much longer are you going to ask me these stupid questions?" She asked, flustered.

"As long as I please. And longer than that. You've lied to me ten times." He answered casually. He had a dagger in his hands now and was playing with it absentmindedly. "Now, be a good girl and answer me this. Do you miss your parents?"

"I don't know. Never knew them." She answered, her frustration getting the best of her.

"Do you hate them?" He asked, unconcerned with her attitude.

"Yes. They let me live in a world that wants me dead. I can't hep it."

"Then would it be safe to assume that you don't miss them?"

"Yes, Gavin." She was imagining stabbing herself in the gut with the dagger in his hands and the pain required to let it bleed out until she died. She wnated Nevermore. Her fantasy shifted and she imagined herself in the nest with Nevermore pulsing through her veins, empowering her, entrancing her audience as she entranced herself dancing.

"Wake Up!" Gavin shouted.

"I didn't know I'd fallen asleep." She commented.

"If I was boring you, why didn't you tell me?" He asked.

"I thought it would be rude." She answered.

"Getting back to my questions, do you love the prince?"

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Urban followed Amethyst's stengthening scent and her more pronounced tracks. He was getting worried. Someone else's scent was mingling with hers. And was smelling blood.

"Milord!" One of his guards called.

"What is it? And stop shouting..." Urban trailed off in his scolding when he saw was immediately recognized was Mavros' dagger. It was half sheathed and covered in blood. Urban's heart sped. As angry as he was at Mavros for his hand in Amy's kidnapping, Mavros was still like a brother to him and he was scared. Mavros didn't deserve death.

"What is it, Milord?" The guard asked.

"This is Mavros'. Split up into threes. Reijel, Mikel. You two are with me. Find Mavros."

"Yes, Milord." The guard all acknowledged in unison.

With his two guards at his back, Urban followed The scent of Mavros' blood and Amethyst's perfumed skin.

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Mavros was glad when he passed out; He had lost a lot of blood. He was thinking in his mind that he didn't deserve the reprieve from the pain. After what he had done, he deserved as slow and agonizing a death the creature could afford him.

In the blackness, he could see another woman, this one so beautiful he could hardly bare to look at her. He then realized his eyes were still open.

_Ellisa, my first and only true love. Raja my escape and my ending. Please Gods, let them forgive me before I die. I don't want the pain of their hearts and betrayals on my head, my soul, and my afterlife. Let them find a way away from the ain I caused them. Let them remember me aas but a wraith of their past. Let them cast me away as nothing but a toy of the past that they have outgrown. Let no one I love, love me enough to care. I ont deserve it. I-_

Before his prayer could be finished, the woman sent a ball of glowing light at Mavros and he was knocked out cold.


End file.
